"

Poor Mr Blurt looked helplessly at the closed shutters, through a hole
in one of which the morning sun was streaming. Turning round he
encountered the deeply solemn gaze of an owl which stood on a shelf at
his elbow.

"No, doctor, I know no more how to open it than that idiot there," he
said, pointing to the owl, "but I'll make inquiries of Mrs Murridge."

The domestic fortunately knew the mysterious operations relative to the
opening of a shop. With her assistance Mr Blurt took off the shutters,
stowed them away in their proper niche, and threw open the door to the
public with an air of invitation, if not hospitality, which deserved a
better return than it received. With this news the doctor went back to
the sick man.

"Mrs Murridge," said Mr Blurt, when the doctor had gone, "would you be
so good as mind the shop for a few minutes, while I go up-stairs? If
any one should come in, just go to the foot of the stair and give two
coughs. I shall hear you."

On entering his brother's room, he found him raised on one elbow, with
his eyes fixed wildly on the door.

"Dear Fred," he said tenderly, hurrying forward; "you must not give way
to anxiety, there's a dear fellow. Lie down. The doctor says you'll
get well if you only keep quiet."

"Ay, but I can't keep quiet," replied the poor old man tremulously,
while he passed his hand over the few straggling white hairs that lay on
but failed to cover his head. "How can you expect me to keep quiet,
Enoch, when my business is all going to the dogs for want of attention?
And that boy of mine is such a stupid fellow; he loses or mislays the
letters somehow--I can't understand how. There's confusion too
somewhere, because I have written several times of late to people who
owe me money, and sometimes have got no answers, at other times been
told that they _had_ replied, and enclosed cheques, and--"

"Come now, dear Fred," said Enoch soothingly, while he arranged the
pillows, "do give up thinking about these things just for a little while
till you are better, and in the meantime I will look after--"

"And he's such a lazy boy too," interrupted the invalid,--"never gets up
in time unless I rouse him.--Has the shop been opened, Enoch?"

"Yes, didn't the doctor tell you? I always open it myself;" returned
Enoch, speaking rapidly to prevent his brother, if possible, from asking
after the boy, about whose unfaithfulness he was still ignorant. "And
now, Fred, I insist o